Lifting device for engines and the like



Dec. 9, 1969 R. E. ROSS 3,482,817

LIFTING DEVICE FOR ENGINES AND THE LIKE Filed May 9. 1966 INVENTOR. RONALD 5 Ross ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,482,817 LIFTING DEVICE FOR ENGINES AND THE LIKE Ronald E. Ross, 19311 McIntyre, Detroit, Mich. 48219 Filed May 9, 1966, Ser. No. 548,479 Int. Cl. B66f 13/00 US. Cl. 254-133 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE from the bottom of the mounting plate member, preferably horizontally and equidistant from either side of the mounting plate member. These members are strongly welded to one another.

The mounting plate member is formed to provide sets of holes, each set in a rectangular pattern, and the patterns being of different shape, enabling the device to be mated downwardly at one set pattern on to studs of a correspondingly shaped rectangular pattern. The different pattern shapes permit use of the device lifting engine blocks of different manufacture.

The suspended plate member has an elongated horizontal opening, the upper limit of which is defined by depending formations, which subdivide the upper margin of the opening into, say, three downwardly facing recesses. These are selectively engageable by a hoist to enable a desirable balancing of the weight of the load for stability in transporting the latter from one place to another.

The present invention relates to an improved lifter for automotive engines and other heavy, massive and cumbersome objects, being in the illustrated embodiment particularly devised for use in service and repair shops to facilitate the removal of an engine from a chassis and transportation thereof by movable hoist to an inspection, test or special repair area of the shop. However, the practical utility of the device in other surroundings will suggest themselves.

Present day lifting devices or units for a comparable purpose are uniformly quite complicated, costly and hard to maneuver, even when the weight is borne by a block and tackle or equivalent power lifting unit. Some involve yoke type supports directly engaging the sides of an engine block, or at other points therein; also cradle type lifters which call for ditficult, inconvenient and awkward manipulations in securing the lifting structure to an engine or other objects.

It is therefore a general object of the invention to provide an improved lifter for the purpose which is of extremely simple construction, capable of being quickly manufactured in mass at a very small fraction of the cost of production of devices presently used for the same purpose.

More particularly, the lifting device of the invention is, in a preferred and herein-illustrated embodiment, in the form of what amounts to a one-piece lifter, or at any rate of unitary construction. As used, this device may be fabricated of but two plate components having a strong welded connection at 90 to one another, the resultant lifter being of inverted T-outline.

The invention contemplates the application of this lifter, at the horizontally disposed bottom plate part thereof, to an area of the engine convenient for the lifting and suspension of the latter by the improved device. Typically and by preference, in an engine lifter installation, this will be at the top of the engine intake manifold in an area where the carburetor is normally attached removably by bolting; and the existing bolts or studs by which the carburetor is mounted in place on the manifold are employed in the application of the lifter device operatively to the engine at the area in question.

In further accordance with the invention, the upright plate portion of the inverted T-shaped lifter serves as its lifting part, being engageable by the hook fall of a chain or block and tackle hoist, in a selective or optionl manner to be described; and in order to suit the lifting device for use on engines having different patterns of carburetor securing studs, its horizontal plate portion has a number of different patterns of openings, of which one pattern will assuredly match the carburetor stud pattern of a given engine. Thus, with the available holes fitted to the studs in question, nuts are applied to the tops of the latter to lock the lifting device in place on the engine block at its intake manifold, readying the device for further use.

In further accordance with the invention, the upright lifter plate portion of the device has an elongated opening for the reception of the chain tackle hook; and this opening is in effect subdivided by downwardly facing recesses, in any one of which the hook is engaged. Thus, should the engine not lift with proper balance when the hook is engaged in a centermost recess of the opening, it may be shifted to a recess at one side or the other, with the effect of better balancing the engine weight.

Accordingly, it is seen that the invention affords a lifter which is of extremely simple and inexpensive construction, being capable of fabrication of two plate parts and using simple welding equipment for their union; and in which the lifter is conveniently, quickly and easily applied to an engine block at a readily accessible position, the carburetor having been first removed from the manifold. Despite its small size, the lifter is of great strength, well capable of sustaining the heaviest engine block.

The foregoing as well as other objects will become more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation showing the lifting device of the invention and indicating the manner in which, once it is applied to an engine block, it may be engaged optionally by a hoisting hook in different positions, indicated in solid and dot-dash line;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the improved device, being partially broken away and in vertical transverse section on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the device; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of the device, partially broken away, showing the manner in which it is operatively connected to an engine intake manifold at the carburetormounting fitting structure of the manifold.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the lifter of the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 10, comprises but two plate parts 12 and 14 0f substantial cross sectional thickness. These may be of a mild grade of steel, well suited for the inexpensive drilling or punching of certain openings therein.

Lifter 10 is (FIG. 2) of inverted T-shaped outline. Its bottom plate 12 is of generally rectangular, though mildly end-truncated shape; and it is engaged from above along its longitudinal center line by the upright suspending plate 14. In order to assist in the assembly of the plates, the member 14 may be provided with an elongated relief at 16 along its bottom, leaving end leg elements 18 which straddle the ends of bottom plate 12. As thus positioned relative to one another, plate members 12 and 14 are rigidly and strongly united by welding at 20'. Plate member 14 is punched to provide an elongated lifting opening 22 which will hereinafter be further described.

In accordance with the invention, horizontal bottom plate 12 is drilled or punched to provide a plurality of different sets or patterns of holes. FIG. 3 illustrates five such patterns, although the number may be more or less. Thus, the four circular holes 23 most closely adjacent the four courners of bottom plate 12 are, pursuant to the invention, in a longitudinal and transverse space relative to one another which will correspond to the pattern of spacing of four carburetor mounting studs at the intake manifold of one manufacturer or model of automobile. Second, third and fourth patterns of holes 24, 25 and 26 will respectively correspond similarly to the stud patterns of other makes or models of engines; while a fifth set of openings 27 may be transversely elongated a trifle, hence possible of receiving two different but slightly differing bolt or stud patterns.

Finally, reference being had to FIGS. 1 and 2, the elongated lifter opening 22 which is formed in the upright suspension plate 14 of lifter 10, as by punching, parallels the length of member 14, terminating well short of its longitudinal ends to provide adequate material for desired lifting strength. Opening 22 has a longitudinally serrated or dentate upper and downwardly facing edge, including three semi-circular, downwardly opening recesses 28, separated in the longitudinal direction by projections 29. These projections terminate sufficiently above the lower edge 30 of lifting opening 22 to permit the ready insertion and longitudinal manipulation in the latter of a conventional hook 31 on the fall of a chain hoist or block and tackle unit.

Hook 31 may be positioned in any one of the three recesses 28 of the opening 22 of upright plate 14. Thus, if a center disposition of hook 31 will result in an excessive imbalance of the lifted load, the hook may be applied in another recess 28 to one side or the other of center, as indicated in dot-dash line in FIG. 1, to more nearly balance the load.

FIG. 4 of the drawing shows the lifter of the invention as operatively applied to an automotive engine block 32. It is contemplated that this mount will be made at the upwardly facing area at which the engine carburetor is removably attached to the intake manifold 33 of the engine; and FIG. 4 shows how this is done. The carburetor (suggested as being a four-barrel type) is removed, leaving its four mounting studs 34 exposed, the lifter 10 is lowered to mate and telescope one set of its holes (indicated as the set of holes 23 by reference to FIG. 3) over the studs 34, and the nuts 35 which formerly held the carburetor in place, are rethre-aded tightly down on the studs, clamping lifter device 10 to engine block 32 at manifold 33. The hoist hook 31 is then applied to device 10, in the optional manner of FIG. 1, as a preliminary to lifting and transporting the engine block to another location for inspection, testing, repair, etc.

It is seen that the invention affords a lifting device for engines which could hardly be more simple and inexpensive of construction, and still make possible the ease and expedition of use, coupled with necessary strength which characterizes device 10. As indicated above, while the embodiment illustrated in the drawing is naturally of specialized nature, particularly in respect to its arrangement of stud-receiving holes 23-27, an understanding of its mode of use suggests possible uses in the lifting of objects comparable in bulk, weight and unwieldliness to an engine block. Heavy castings of various sorts or formations, to which the device 10 in a modified design may be applied, will serve as an example. The significant thing is that the improved lifter avoids all of the complexity and inconvenience of use of various sling, cradle and yoke types of lifting mechanism presently and heretofore in common use; and it can be produced at a small fraction of their cost.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A lifter of the type described, comprising an up right suspending plate member, and a mounting plate member of substantial length, width and area rigid with and extending substantially and in similar shape laterally from opposite sides of said suspending member adjacent and beneath the bottom of the latter, said mounting plate member having means enabling it to engage and be fixedly secured to different designs of engine or like object in direct, face-to-face contacting engagement with and atop the latter, comprising sets of holes in said mounting plate member, each set including holes located on opposite sides of said suspending plate member, the sets being arranged in a rectangular pattern to matingly telescope from above onto stud or like, similarly patterned projecting formations on said object, said set patterns being of different shapes within the longitudinal and lateral confines of said area to match differing patterns of formations on different objects.

2. The litter of claim 1, in which said upright suspending plate member is rigidly secured to said mounting plate member along a longitudinal medial zone of the latter, with halves of each of said sets of holes located substantially equidistant laterally from said suspending plate member.

3. The litter of claim 1, in which said lifting plate member has an elongated and horizontal opening, including formations defining its upper extremity and providing for the selective engagement of a hoist in said opening at different points along the length thereof.

4. The lifter of claim 3, in which said upright suspending plate member is rigidly secured to said mounting plate member along a longitudinal medial zone of the latter, with halves of each of said sets of holes located substantially equidistant laterally from said suspending plate member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,905,501 9/ 1959 Jakubowski 294-81 1,535,022 4/1925 Jenkins 294-78 3,299,628 1/ 1967 Chisler 294-82 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,113,322 12/1955 France.

OTHELL M. SIMPSON, Primary Examiner 

